Team Activity
by FriendsLovers
Summary: Sophie and Maggie believe that some team bonding is in order. Playing paintball seemed to be a good idea. Eliot is interested in one player in particular though: Sterling.


**Title:** Team Activity  
**Summary:** Sophie and Maggie believe that some team bonding is in order. Playing paintball seemed to be a good idea. Eliot is interested in one player in particular though: Sterling.  
**Characters:** Eliot, Parker, Nate, Hardison, Sophie, Sterling, Maggie  
**Pairings:** none, just references to Nate/Sophie and Sterling/Maggie  
**Rating:** PG - 13  
**Disclaimer:** I DON'T own anyone or anything. I DON'T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.

* * *

"Paintball?" Eliot asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Seriously?" His hands tightened around the neck of his still half-full bottle of beer.

What had he gotten himself into? That the team was more than just a team was a fact. Somewhere along the line, they had developed strong friendships, based on trust. He would even go so far and say that they had turned into something like a family. Years ago, he would have never seen himself in such a situation: caring for a group of criminals deeply like that. There was no line he wouldn't cross if it was necessary to protect them.

But while he loved each and every member of this team, there were moments when he was longing for the good old days, when he had depended only on himself, when there hadn't been overly motivated women, who wanted to intensify and strengthen the team's bond, and who would force them all to get together for a 'weekend of fun', like Sophie had named it so enthusiastically.

Paintball. Mentally, Eliot shook his head at the grifter. Spending time with the team was fine, even though he wouldn't admit how much he liked to have them around lately. He could handle that. But why exactly she had to invite Sterling as well was a mystery to him, and definitely didn't lift his mood at all. Same counted for Hardison's frustrated look, caused by a simple question.

"What?" Hardison asked back then. "What's the problem, man? You wanna go all 'I hate guns' on me again? It's paintball! It's fun. Doubt you can kill someone with a paintball gun."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Eliot gave him a warning glare. In a lower voice, he hissed, "Besides...this is supposed to be some free time team activity. Care to explain why _he's_ gonna join in?"

"Sterling?" Parker asked, not bothering to lower her voice as she spoke. "Guess Nate invited him because he's Maggie's boyfriend, and leaving him out would be rude, something like that."

"Well, thank you for clarifying that, Parker," Sterling stated. "You do know I'm sitting right here, and can actually hear you?"

"So?" She shrugged, not getting the problem.

"Whatever," Nate interrupted before she got the chance to say more. "Sophie thinks we should do more team activities..."

"Because it's not good for team bonding if our relationship is based entirely on work, and sharing a drink here and there after a successfully done job," Sophie explained for him.

"Well, don't wanna disagree with you, mama," Hardison said. "But...we do spend time together outside of jobs. Think of all the games we've watched at Nate's already."

"That doesn't count!" Sophie sighed, shaking her head in frustration. "It's just three guys with beers yelling at a large screen, and it doesn't even involve us women."

"You're welcome to join in," Nate suggested. His voice trailed off at the look he received in return.

"Ugh, no, thanks." Parker shuddered, vocalizing what Sophie had wanted to bring across with her glare. "Hours wasted with cheering for a team? Boring."

"So breaking into museums at night and rearranging paintings is any better?" Hardison asked back. He groaned at the look Sterling gave him in response. "Oh come on, man! Really? It's not like you don't know what she's doing."

"Whatever!" now Maggie said firmly. "You stop complaining now. All of you! Sophie is right: you guys stopped being just a team quite a while ago. You're friends, and it's only good for you to do an activity that's not related to work. She approached me because she knew you would be stubborn, especially one particular person." She threw a long look in Nate's direction. "I promised to support her with this, in my eyes, great idea. And no, Parker, Jim isn't part of this plainly because he's my boyfriend. How many times have you worked together already? It's about time you stop this silly rivalry and get over yourself. Which leads me back to Sophie's plan. A little free time activity should be exactly what all of us need."

Satisfied with herself, Maggie leant back in her chair, winking at Sophie as she did so. No one dared to argue with her. Even though she was the most honest member of this group, she knew her ways to bring a point across, especially if paired up with Sophie. Eliot resisted the urge to offer yet another glare, knowing it was a waste of energy. Those two women could be creepier than most enemies he had run into in the past.

"Thank you, Maggie." Sophie offered an appreciative nod. "Like she said, we need this. More than I expected, obviously, according to how tense you all are. And why paintball? Well, I didn't want to push it too far and choose something men might be interested in. Of course we could also go on a shopping trip, if you prefer that." She didn't bother to hide her grin at the shocked look she received from all four men. "I guess that's settled then. Anyone wants a drink? I'll pay the next round."

Her grin widened as all she received in response was another round of glares, a smirk from Maggie and an excited smile fro Parker. Sighing deeply, Eliot took another sip of his beer, trying to blind out Sterling, sitting next to him. There was no way out of this dilemma: Sophie and her new best friend would take care of that.

* * *

After getting over the first rush of frustration, caused by Sophie and Maggie's idea, Eliot had to admit the plan didn't sound as bad as it had in the beginning. Paintball could indeed be fun, and it wasn't his fault the two women had chosen a sport which he could win within a matter of seconds if he wanted to.

He had considered this option for quite a while: he wouldn't need more than a couple of minutes to take down every single member of their group, win the game and end the team activity with that.

But then, images of Sophie and Maggie's excited smiles had found their way into his mind, and he had cursed himself for letting them affect him like that. He knew they would be disappointed if he ruined what was supposed to get them all closer together. And get over their rivalry with Sterling.

Sterling. His first reaction had been rage as the man had walked through the door, had joined them at their table with Maggie, and had been introduced as part of their game. But then, he had allowed himself to explore the idea a little further, and a new plan had started to develop.

Revenge was sweet, and so far, he refused to accept that the team and Sterling were even. He hadn't forgiven the man for the trouble he had caused a few years ago, and for the sheer arrogance he used to show on every possible occasion.

Should Maggie and Sophie enjoy a lovely game of paintball, and eventually shoot each other after wasting hours and hours with chasing squirrels and other animals through the forest. He wouldn't get in their way, would save his skills for one person in particular. All he had to do was making sure Sterling would be the last one left, although he fairly doubted the man needed any help with making that happen.

"I thought this was supposed to be a team bonding activity," Nate said then, interrupting him in his thoughts. "Care to explain why everyone will go after everyone, instead of two teams playing like it's normally done?"

"Because then we'd have to split up and create those teams," Sophie explained, shaking her head at him as if she was stating an obvious fact. "And that'd just cause new tension. Everyone would argue who'd be in whose team and why."

"So it's 'everyone for themselves'," Sterling said. "Very great way to practice teamwork."

"This is about spending time with each other," Sophie told him, a little more firmly than intended. Anger was blazing in her eyes, caused by having to bring her point across a few times too many. "This team doesn't need to practice teamwork. We're already brilliant at it, as you might know, Sterling. Our highest priority is spending time with each other outside of work."

Sterling just smirked in response, and while Eliot mentally congratulated Sophie for her well-chosen words, he felt the old urge to punch Nate's ex-co-worker rising again. Said urge couldn't be satisfied yet though. He had to wait. He would get his revenge eventually.

"Alright," Hardison said then, making yet another attempt at turning everyone's attention back to him. It had been the hacker who had organised the team weekend for Sophie, who had lured him into it with a warm smile and telling him that she was convinced he would come up with a great idea. Dressed up and holding his paintball gun almost lovingly, he had a broad grin plastered across his place, leaving no doubt to the fact that he enjoyed himself in his current role.

"Anyone got any questions about the rules?" he wanted to know.

"What rules?" Parker asked back, giving him a funny look. "We try to shoot each other, and if you're shot, you're out." She waved her gun, index finger a little too tightly curled around its trigger.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Hardison agreed, giving her a worried look. "But...gosh, Parker, lower that damn gun, woman! We're gonna head off into different directions. Would make the game a little too easy if we started pointing guns at each other out here already? This is the starting point, and everyone who got shot comes back here, until only one person is left. And you..." He turned to Eliot. "Play fair."

"Excuse me?" Eliot gave him a disbelieving look in response. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

"I just mean...well, don't use your soldier skills on us, okay?" Hardison answered, his discomfort growing the longer his friend's glare rested on him. "I mean...it's just a game and all, and..."

"It's you who came up with paintball." Eliot couldn't help the smirk that lit his face at Hardison's expression. "You better watch your back, my friend."

Hardison wanted to respond, but was cut off by Parker, who groaned in frustration. "Can we start now?"

"Yes, can we start? Everyone's excited for some team bonding after all," Nate stated with a long look at Sophie, who responded with a glare of her own. Not bothering to comment for once, she gave a single nod, signalling the game had started.

* * *

The longer Eliot wandered through the forest Hardison had chosen for the team activity, the more he was enjoying it, he had to admit. He had always had a soft spot for nature: there was no better place for relaxing than out in the wilderness. He could spend hours with fishing, hiking, or whatever else one could do out in the woods. No human beings would disturb him, and he could allow his thoughts to wander.

Taking a deep breath, he enjoyed the smell of fresh air. A grin lit his face as a certain conversation with Hardison found its way into the mind, and he wondered if the man had already run into giant mosquitoes again. He doubted they would meet any wanna-be-soldiers out here. Except a group of criminals, Nate's ex-wife and Sterling.

Stopping then, he closed his eyes to listen. Soft footsteps were approaching. A woman, so he assumed. Not Parker, because no one would hear her approaching like that. Quickly, he scanned the surrounding area, satisfied noticing a near tree that was perfect for what he had in mind. Quickly, he climbed it, hiding between its thick branches.

He didn't have to wait longer than a minute until Sophie appeared. Quietly and as carefully as possible for her, she left a group of trees. Eliot doubted she had already heard the sound of another person's footsteps, approaching from the opposite direction.

Indeed, Sophie didn't notice Maggie until she stepped out of a giant bush, brushing away tiny branches and leaves that were stuck in her hair. Both women froze in their tracks as they spotted each other.

"Maggie." Sophie offered a relieved smile, or at least tried to. By now, Eliot knew her expressions well enough to notice when she was faking an emotion. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting this when I asked Hardison to come up with something for our idea."

Maggie chuckled. Her tensed body revealed she didn't trust the situation either though. "Yes, but we should have seen it coming," she said. "It's an adventure though, and if we're lucky, it really puts their minds off the jobs." She paused. "Although I'm not sure Nate can ever not think about work."

Sophie's expression softened a little at the mention of the team's mastermind, she stayed on alert though. "Yes, I think if he can't throw himself into a job, he's lost. I wouldn't be too surprised if he found a client out here in this forest."

"Absolutely." Maggie nodded in full agreement. "He's always been like that though. Work's his passion." She paused, looking down at her paintball gun. "You know that if we were following the rules of this game, we shouldn't be standing here, chatting like that."

"We're women after all," Sophie replied, barely noticeably tightening her hand around her own gun. "What's a trip without a little chat here and there?"

"Too true," Maggie said, lifting her gun an inch.

Neither of the two women saw the two shots coming. Entirely focused on each other, they hadn't noticed Parker approaching. Unlike Eliot, who had to admit he was impressed by her: only for a matter of seconds, a glimpse of blond hair had appeared between the leaves of a tall tree, a couple of feet away from his. He wondered when she had shown up to climb it, and if she had been hiding in there already when he had appeared earlier.

Spinning around, Maggie and Sophie stared at the tree in question, eyes widened in shock. A giggle was their answer, and a second later, Parker dropped to the ground, smoothly like a cat. Seeing her like that was fascinating, Eliot had to admit, and he dearly hoped she wouldn't forget to stay on alert herself.

"Parker!" Sophie exclaimed. "How could you do that to us? You knew we weren't paying attention!"

Parker just shrugged. "It's how the game works, right? Not my fault that you weren't paying attention. Eliot taught me to always keep a close eye on my surroundings." With those words, she threw a quick glance into his direction.

The wink she offered then told him she had indeed seen him, but for whatever reason had chosen not to take advantage of the situation. He couldn't help but grin proudly as he watched her running off, disappearing between another group of trees, knowing very well that the game obviously wasn't as easy as he had originally expected it to be. Eliot waited until Sophie and Maggie had left. Quietly, he climbed down his own tree then and continued his trip through the forest.

Finding Nate and Hardison was almost hilariously easy. Nate still didn't seem to be too pleased by the plan in the first place, although he had refused to argue with Sophie, knowing he couldn't win anyway. Hardison was enjoying himself, but so focused on doing a good job that he got distracted far too often. Failing to follow tracks, he had passed the same spot several times within a couple of minutes without noticing.

This time, Eliot didn't miss Parker's new hiding place. Staying hidden from her view, he watched how she allowed Hardison to pass her twice. Then, as he stopped once again, she moved on her branch, on purpose causing the leaves to rustle. The hacker spun around, gun raised. The second he gasped "Parker" though, she had already fired a paintball at him, leaving a bright green stain on the front of Hardison's vest.

Shaking his head in amusement, Eliot hurried to climb the tree behind which he had been hiding, just in time to disappear as Nate pushed his way out of another bush.

"Hey man!" Hardison shouted. "You gotta run, man! Parker's here! Hiding up here in that tree!"

"Hardison!" Parker hissed angrily, the branch shaking once more. "That's unfair!"

"Why? I'm out thanks to you!" Hardison complained in response.

Nate, who wanted to use his chance, turned around again, but stopped in his tracks as Sterling appeared behind a tree, only inches away from him.

"A little distracted, aren't we?" the man greeted him with a grin. "Sorry, Nate, it's nothing personal." And before the mastermind got a chance to reach for his gun, Sterling shot him.

"Fine, you got me." Sighing, Nate rolled his eyes. "I guess that means I can go back to the starting point and have a well-deserved drink, right?"

Sterling didn't answer though. Instead, he spun around, firing two paintballs into the tree behind Hardison. An angry curse revealed that one of them must have reached their goal. The theory was proven right as a fuming Parker landed at the tree's bottom, half of her helmet covered in the familiar green colour.

"That's all your fault, Hardison!" she exclaimed. "No one of you guys would have even found me if you hadn't given away my position!" She punched his shoulder, glaring at him in utter annoyance. "Oh, and you!" She turned back to Sterling. "You didn't win yet, you know? Eliot's gonna kick your ass."

"I see someone's not good at losing a silly game of paintball, huh?" Sterling chuckled. "See you later. You can already write my name onto the trophy."

Glaring even more, Parker turned around and ran off, a rather uncomfortable looking Hardison following her, apologizing over and over again for ruining the game for her. A proudly grinning Sterling headed off into the opposite direction, leaving only Nate behind. The mastermind waited until his former co-worker had disappeared between a distant group of trees.

"I hope Parker's right," he said then, now with a grin of his own. "Make sure it won't be his name on the trophy."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Eliot chuckled amused. Letting himself drop out of the tree, he gave Nate a questioning look. "You knew he was behind that tree, didn't you?" he wanted to know. "You also knew about Parker sitting up there, and where I was hiding."

"Maybe?" Nate's smirk widened.

"Why'd you let him take you out?"

"Do you really need an answer for this question?" Nate asked back. "I'm a strategist, Eliot. Everyone here has their own view on this game. Sophie and Maggie want to work on the team dynamic. Hardison wants to impress us with showing how good he is at paintball. Parker is looking for an adventure, and she likes the idea of taking down one person after the other. Which is also why she's so mad she's out already. It's not about winning, she just wants the game to continue for her. And you and I..." His smirk grew into a full grin. "We want revenge."

Eliot couldn't help but laugh. "Really, Nate? You've seriously turned this into a con? Why am I even surprised?"

Nate shrugged. "Well, he deserves it, don't we agree on that? But I'm not good enough at taking him down, so it was always clear you'd have to go after him. Which is what you're obviously doing, because otherwise, the game would have been over a long time ago."

"And why did you hand yourself to him?" Eliot wanted to know.

"Because now he think it's only the two of you," Nate explained. "He believes he can handle it. He's completely focused on you now, and we know what happens when some people get obsessed with something." With a wink, he added, "I'll go get my drink now. We better keep that between us though. Sophie doesn't need her theory to be proven right again."

With those words, Nate left. Eliot stared after him for a while, before he shook his head again. Nate was a strategist, through and through. And so was he, if he wanted to. Tightening his grip around the paintball gun, Eliot continued his journey through the forest.

* * *

Finding Sterling was easy, but Eliot knew he had to pay more attention now. The man was on alert, listening closely to anything that could give his follower away. Slowly, he moved forward, gun raised. Eliot couldn't resist the grin that threatened to spread across his face at this sight. Sterling knew he was followed, his whole body was tense. The slightest noise would make him jump. Picking up a stone, Eliot tossed it into the opposite direction. As it connected with a near tree, Sterling spun around, almost setting off his gun.

"Nice game you're playing here, Spencer," he shouted. "Your...what did your hacker friend say? Right, your 'soldier skills' don't necessarily guarantee that you're going to catch me. Why don't you come out and we test each other in an open duel?"

Eliot couldn't deny the idea was tempting. He didn't want to give in that easily though. Sterling had to suffer, and the hectic way he was throwing glances in all directions was proof enough that his plan was starting to work.

In silence, Eliot followed his target for another half an hour, making sure the man didn't forget he was still followed. He had to admit he was impressed by the fact that Sterling wasn't trying to hide yet. His attempts at luring him out though were simply hilarious, especially as he got worse and worse at keeping the nervousness out of his voice.

"For how long do you plan on playing this game, huh?" Sterling asked then. "Both of us know you could've shot me a long time ago already. What's this, a psycho game? Did Nate talk you into it?"

He stopped, standing completely still as he listened. Eliot knew he could continue said game for hours if he wanted to. He was a patient man, and by this time, Sterling would beg him to come out and take him down. He also knew the others were already waiting for their return though, and he didn't want the team to come looking for them, potentially ruining his revenge.

And so, he left his hiding place, slowly making his way over to his target. Sterling tensed even more as he eventually picked up on the footsteps that were approaching him from behind.

"Is that what you had in mind?" Sterling asked, staying where he was. "Revenge? Shooting me from behind?"

"Oh, I don't have to shoot you from behind," Eliot told him, not feeling bad at all at the way he was enjoying the man's growing nervousness. Sterling, of all people, deserved it. "Or from a hiding place. I don't have a problem with an open confrontation, as you might know." He couldn't help a slightly evil grin as he added, "You think it was a wise idea to risk being all alone with me out here? You still don't count to my favourite people, you know."

"So?" Sterling chuckled, not as convincing as he had intended though. "I doubt you'll risk hurting me. Remember, Maggie's part of this group, too."

"I could make it look like an accident," Eliot stated softly. "You tripped over a root, banged your head on a tree. Or a stone. And I came to the rescue. Lucky you. Or maybe not." Seeing Sterling's reaction to his words, Eliot could understand Nate's love for manipulating marks. Sterling had given them a hard time so often already. Now there he stood, nervous like a little boy, and for once, there was nothing to see of his arrogance. At all.

"Well, then..." Sterling said eventually, tightening his hands around his paintball gun as he spun around. The two men were barely facing each other as Eliot had already fired a paintball at the other player, expertly hitting the front of the other man's vest.

"Game over, Sterling," he stated, winking. Before the man could react though, Eliot had crossed the distance between them and took the other paintball gun. "We don't want you to play unfair, right?"

Sterling just glared in response. "I doubt that's what Maggie and Sophie had in mind when they set us up for this silly game," he said. "And aren't you better than that? Now that you're pretending to be a good guy?"

"I'm still a bad guy, Sterling," Eliot told him. "And besides, revenge is sweet."

As the two men returned to the starting point, they were already awaited by the rest of the team, curious to find out who had won. Eliot didn't miss the satisfied looks that greeted him, and Nate's silent nod said more than words.

"Aw, looks like I was right, huh?" Parker said, obviously no longer mad at Hardison, flashing Sterling one of her best grins.

"Parker," Maggie said, shaking her head, but was firmly ignored by the happy thief.

Hardison, still completely dressed and carrying his gun, approached with a broad grin of his own. "See? There's a reason why I picked paintball," he said quietly. "'Cause I knew you'd kick his ass."

"Yeah, that was absolutely your plan, huh?" Eliot asked back, not sure whether or not to believe his friend. It also didn't really matter. "I have to admit," he said then, "that idea wasn't so bad, Sophie. Team activities sound quite nice to me."

"Yep." Parker nodded eagerly. "We should so do this again!"

"Really? I'm happy to hear that, Parker," Sophie said, turning her attention to Nate as she spoke.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. The idea was okay. Maybe a team activity here and there is fine. Helps you to put the mind off the job, right?" He smirked innocently as Sophie raised an eyebrow at him. "Now, didn't you say you also booked a table at a nice restaurant for us?"

Half an hour later, the team, with the addition of Maggie and Sterling, had gathered around a large table in the beautiful restaurant Sophie had chosen for them. At this point, no one was complaining anymore, and even though every single member had used the paintball game for their very own plans, they all had to admit that their grifter's idea had turned out to be a full success.


End file.
